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More Than Just a Whisper

Read these verses and ask if they match your experience of the love of God.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. (Psalm 86:15 )

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17b-19)

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him. (Psalm 103:11)

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5b)

Notice the plentitude. Abounding. Overflowing. Fullness. Heavens. These are not words meant to convey scarcity, an occasional drip. Rooted. A tree does not grow unless it has ample soil to draw from. Fullness. How many of us can tell of feeling full of God?

Does this capture how you experience God’s love on a daily basis? A weekly basis?

My experience of God’s love used to be little more than an occasional whisper. Every few months or so, I’d get a glimpse. As if from a distant country, a well-phrased word from God came to me about how he sees my efforts, or how carefully he is handling my life. I rejoice. But it fades soon, replaced by the noise and dust of life. And the next one doesn’t come for a while.

We seem to have accepted this as normal. We expect only the infrequent dose of God’s near, full love. We call them “mountaintop experiences” and feel better because at least it sounds realistic and adult. After all, we see only through a mirror dimly.

But when I examine the Bible and its characters still inhabiting our side of the mirror, I see a much different expectation laid out for us. When the Bible speaks of God’s love, it portrays a much fuller, stronger, and steadier phenomenon than we typically experience.

Are we missing something? Have we settled for much less love than God is willing to give us? Why? And how?

It could be sin. That always casts a dark cloud between us and God. It could be the guilt that usually results from sin. That is Satan’s despicable one-two punch; he tempts us towards sin, then turns around and shames. He mocks our desire to approach him just as the Pharisees mocked, convincing us that we are unworthy. It’s all a lie. God calls us to conviction, not shame.

Perhaps we’re simply not looking for God’s love. Perhaps we’re so enamored with things of this world, so convinced that they can carry us, that we take no interest in God. I don’t think I’m out of line to say that there are a number of people who simply don’t care about God’s love. They view it as a consolation prize, get irritated when it’s brought up. “I’m tired of hearing about that,” their hearts say. “Just answer my prayer.” All too often, I am that person.

Yet the overwhelming, superlative goodness of God’s love is real. David is swept off his feet by it. Paul seems blind to all else. We could dismiss them as mystics, unable to relate to us, or we could take a posture of humility and ask if they know something we don’t.

Could it also be that we reject God’s love because we’ve experienced so little of it, because we’re used to scraping by without it, even though God offers far more? A deadly self-fulfilling prophecy. As Francis Chan pointed out, you have to stop running to eat a donut. Maybe we need to dump the world’s donuts and start running the race again. If we knew God’s love in its fullness, just how strangely dim would those other things grow?

I am praying hard for a new and deeper revelation of God’s love all the time. It seems the natural way to seek it: ask him. How many of us really do that?

And it is coming. A permeating peace, seemingly wound into the very universe around me, just a vague calm and delight. It is fleeting tonight. I am praying the verses above, fully expecting something new.

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27 thoughts on “More Than Just a Whisper”

“Could it also be, on the flipside, that we reject God’s love because we’ve experienced so little of it, becuse we’re used to sinning, used to scraping by without it, even though God offers far more?” Hm. Yes. That’s actually something I’ve been tremendously convicted about recently – exchanging God’s love for the pitiful imitations the world offers.

Thanks Brand..i Pray for the whole world to understand that mountain-hill-top peak where GOD had to sacrifice his Son Jesus in Golgatha hill, Abraham his son Isaac in Mt Moreh…where the person will be able to say, “not my will but your will be done,” Like Jesus said on the Garden of Gathsamene at the Mt Olives…with genuine surrender, knees bent, head low with tears rolling over face and sweating all over body with blood drops streaming from foreheads on the rock with mouths praying for mercy to Father GOD.
Thanks Brand..As a matter of fact we give LORD is Love back…we are no love here..GOD is love..We give his life back to him..GOD is life and light…we are nothing.we are fading and destructible soil made alive with HIS living life breadth and love. We are empty vessels where GOD poured HIS water of love and life unto us..that’s it…

I ask every day for revelation of Him, who He is, and His love for us. Sometimes the answers are loud and other days I resolve to keep praying for it. I do believe, though, He will answer those prayers in the way we need Him to.

Very good. I thought about a retreat I was at a few years ago. It was awesome. Nothing but worship and praying the entire weekend. The presence of God was so real. I think to myself why can’t it always be like that? Maybe it can be if we stop and allow God’s presence to overwhelm us! Great post.

I really appreciated this post, and being reminded of these verses. They are really wonderful. God’s love is indeed so deep, so full , so superlative, and even so mysterious. And yes, I’m afraid that sometimes I really don’t pursue it, don’t want it how I should. Sometimes it’s also hard to believe that his love really is for me. But then I am reminded of a wonderful quote by one of the great old Puritans that says something to the tune of, “the greatest way that we can hurt God is by not believing how much he loves us .”

Great post. Great thoughts on this subject. I agree that we just need to ask and believe He will give and He will indeed. Yet I admit that I often forget to ask, yet when I do, He fills me in a way only God can.

Brandon, your writing is excellent!! Thank you for stopping by to see me, opening the door to be your neighbor here on WP. So many good comments from your other readers. I love you are a “Mililianial” ( I know I butchered that!!) The younger generation turning to the Father’s heart. For me when Jesus told the people those who hunger and thirst would be filled, True to His Word, He has given me a taste and drink I cannot live my day or night without. Blessed be His Holy Name Jesus. Thank you Brandon! Blessings, denise

“We seem to have accepted this as normal. We expect only the infrequent dose of God’s near, full love. We call them ‘mountaintop experiences’ and feel better because at least it sounds realistic and adult.”

OUCH…this is sad, but true, bro. And like you mentioned further down, it doesn’t match with what many of the saints experienced in scripture.

I really enjoyed reading your post and the comments. As I was reading, I wondered to myself, “Am I expecting God’s love to be like human love? Like some of the false expectations we can have about human love?” Really will need to reread, rethink, and rethink some more! Thanks!

“Could it also be that we reject God’s love because we’ve experienced so little of it, because we’re used to scraping by without it, even though God offers far more?” This was a great line. It really made me think about how I view God.